NeopaganismFrom TinWiki.org
Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by historical, pre-Christian European pagan religions. Neopagan religious movements are diverse, with beliefs that range from polytheism (the belief in or worship of multiple deities, such as gods and goddesses) to animism (religious belief that souls or spirits exist in animals, plants and other entities, in addition to humans) to pantheism (the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God; or that the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent). Many Neopagans practice a spirituality that is entirely modern in origin while others attempt to reconstruct or revive indigenous, ethnic religions as found in folkloric and historical sources. Neopaganism is a postmodern development in the industrialized countries, found in the US and Britain, but also in Continental Europe. The largest Neopagan movement is Wicca, though other significantly sized Neopagan faiths include Neo-druidry, Germanic neopaganism, and Slavic neopaganism.
[edit] TerminologyThe word "pagan" comes from the Latin paganus, meaning "rustic" or "from the country". The pejorative meaning, "uneducated non-Christian", emerged in the 4th century. The term "neopagan" was coined in the 19th century in reference to Renaissance and Romanticist Hellenophile classical revivalism. When capitalized, "Pagan" and "Neopagan" refer to religions or members of a Pagan or Neopagan religion. The usage has been common since the Neopagan revival of the 1970s and is now used by academics and adherents to identify new religious movements that emphasize pantheism or nature-worship or religious movements that revive or reconstruct aspects of historical polytheism. The term "Neopagan" provides a way of distinguishing between historical Pagans of ancient cultures and the adherents of modern religious movements. The category of religions known as "Neopagan" includes eclectic approaches like Wicca or witchcraft, Neo-druidism, and Neoshamanism at one end of the spectrum and culturally specific traditions (polytheistic reconstructionism) at the other. [edit] History[edit] OriginsNeopaganism's roots begin with the Renaissance and the reintroduction of Classicism and the resurgence of interest in Greco-Roman polytheism in the 16th century. The Romantic movement in the 18th century led to the re-discovery of Old Gaelic and Old Norse literature and poetry. Neo-druidism can be traced back to 1717 with the foundation of The Druid Order. The 19th century saw a surge of interest in Germanic paganism with the Viking revival in the British Isles and Scandinavia. Neopagan currents coincided with Romanticist interest in folklore and occultism, the emergence of pagan themes in popular literature, and the rise of nationalism. [edit] Occult RevivalOrders and groups emerged in the United Kingdom who attempted to syncretize elements like Egyptian cosmology and Kabbalah into their belief systems, though not necessarily for purely religious purposes. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were other social phenomena such as the interest in mediumship, magic, and other supernatural beliefs that helped to bring the occult into Neopaganism. The Romantic aesthetic movement, which venerated the natural world and frequently made reference to the deities of antiquity was another important influence on Neopaganism. [edit] Witchcraft RevivalWitchcraft made a comeback in the 1920s. Contemporary authors theorized that a Witchcraft religion existed underground and in secret, surviving through the witchcraft prosecutions that had been enacted by the ecclesiastical and secular courts. These ideas exerted great influence on certain Neopagan currents. In the 1940s, Englishman Gerald Gardner claimed to have been initiated into a New Forest coven; Gardnerian Wicca is used to refer to the traditions of Neopaganism that adhere closely to Gardner's teachings. This is a different tradition from similar Wicca traditions like Alexandrian Wicca or more recent Wiccan offshoots. [edit] Neopagan EmergenceIn the 1960s and 1970s, there was a resurgence in Neo-druidism as well as the rise of Germanic Neopaganism and Ásatrú in the US and Iceland. In the 1970s, Wicca was greatly influenced by feminism, leading to the creation of an eclectic, Goddess-worship movement known as Dianic Wicca. In the 1980s, there was growth and spreading of large Neopagan gatherings and festivals, heavily influenced by the New Age Movement and the counter-culture movement. The 1980s and 1990s saw an increasing interest in serious academic research and Reconstructionist Pagan traditions, and the establishment and growth of the Internet brought rapid growth to Neopagan movements. [edit] Historic IncorporationMany Neopagans and Neopagan traditions attempt to incorporate elements of historical religions, cultures, and mythologies into their beliefs and practices. Such emphasis on the antiquity of religious tradition is not exclusive to Neopaganism and is found in many other religions. Some claims of continuity between Neopaganism and older forms of Paganism have been shown to be slight, or outright false, in many cases. Neopagans also adapt old religious traditions to fit their needs. The mythological sources of the various Neopagan traditions are varied and include Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Egyptian, and others. Some groups solely focus on one cultural tradition while others draw from several. Some Neopagans also draw inspiration from modern traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, and others. Since many Neopagan beliefs do not require exclusivity, some Neopagans practice other faiths in parallel. [edit] Concepts of The DivineMost Neopagan traditions are polytheistic, but the interpretations of the nature of a deity may vary widely. In principle, there is a distinction of hard polytheism versus soft polytheism. Hard polytheism is the notion of the existence of gods and goddesses independent from the human mind and from one another (distinct entities that are part of a greater unity). Soft polytheism considers the plurality of gods as "aspects" of other notions of the divine. Some types of modern Neopagans believe that there is a single divinity or life force of the universe which is immanent in the world. The various manifestations of this divinity are not viewed as wholly separate, but as different aspects of the divine which are ineffable. Among Neopagans, there is a strong desire to incorporate the female aspects of the divine in their worship and within their lives. This partially explains the attitude which sometimes manifests as the veneration of women. Other Neopagans reject the concept of binary gender roles. [edit] Worship and RitualMany Neopagan traditions include occult or magical elements in their practices and beliefs. Wicca emphasizes the role of witchcraft and ritual, and other Neopagan traditions may include a belief in the supernatural, placing less emphasis on the working of magic. Most Neopagan religions celebrate the cycles and seasons of nature through a festival calendar. The timing of festivals and the rites celebrated may vary from climate to climate and may depend on which particular Neopagan religion the adherent practices. [edit] Main Denominations
[edit] External Links[edit] Relevant discussion threads on AboveTopSecret.com |
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